Donna, I believe you gave a very good reason and why when you said, "If Satan could hear every word of your prayers, it would mean he is omniscient (all knowing) and omnipresent (capable of being everywhere all the time). These traits are possessed by God alone. If Satan heard every word I ever prayed it wouldn't bother me, because the Word tells me:"I don't think people even consider who satan is. They give him the power of God, that to many, he is in control of everything and he is not Omnipotent either. It's always the devil doing things, it is never the person. They don't want to take responsibility. If everyone would consider first the nature, attributes, and character of God, they would know the answers.

Fay get real, satan is also an angel of light to those who are in darkness the truth is the Holy word of God says private prayer is what brings results were are getting too familiar with worldly worship and prayer especially those with who worship a lie instead of the truth.

If you pray with an audience you'll get what the audience has to offer, praise, recognition and false healing, but when you pray secretly you are rewarded OPENLY through the God who rewards obedience.

We'd all love to be known b y our words in prayer however the bible speaks about weeping women coming together at a time of death...

Catherine, to say you don't care is not really true. You do care & probably too much. You are fighting back because you were attacked, I did it too. Anyway, I think you've been dealing with persecution for quite some time & probably not just from this site. I believe you are being used in the gift of prophecy, just not quite sure you are a full fledged prophet yet. Please, Bear in mind that all prophets are persecuted. Prophet or not we must be confident in who we are & who we hear and rise above persecution. Even though it doesn't really matter what anyone else does, says or thinks we can't say that to people. We must do & say whatever it is that God wants & let God deal with others.

I read a good article on public prayer. google public prayer learn the bible david reagan.

The author talks about three kinds of prayer: private, public, and participatory. Public prayer is one person praying and others say something like "amen" at the end of the prayer. Participatory is when individuals in a group pray. This can vary in degree.

Personally, I try to avoid public or participatory prayer.

Also, whether you take the closet literally or figuratively, the important thing is if you can 'shut the door' figuratively to the outside world.

For public prayer and prophecy, I think discipline (discipleship) is essential, which takes time.

Why are People not afraid of worshiping Satan in public? Why are people afraid to worship the living God in public? You worship the devil day and night. You worship him in thoughts, deeds, and action, and words. Is not God a better person and deserve more attention, honor and praise, than the devil? PAY ATTENTION: You are either worshiping the living God or the living Devil.

God always knew that many people who accepted His Son as savior would disagree with His will/desires, so it is no surprise to Him when Christians say "But I also want to ALSO pray in public because of this reason and that reason". Now, I'm sure God is DISAPPOINTED by that refusal to agree with Him, but it seems that He'll just have to get used to it,.....WON'T HE?...after all, YOU (and MAN) know a better way.

Maybe The Lord should have consulted those who disagree with His will before writing scripture.

"keep between yourself and God".

Ephesians 5:17"Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is".

Fools get out and act like fools in all of their screaming, yelling, bowing, praising, everything and anyone, but the true God. God's people are not called to go into a closet. Stop listening to Satan....When Obama was elected he had very large crowd. I thought any minute the people were going to start bowing to him. Ahhhhhh.

More excellent way -- Private prayer is most important. But having a group of believers gather around you in your time of need, spontaneously praying for you, is greatly encouraging.Many Christians will promise to pray for you, some will tell you thay have prayed for you. But actually hearing them do it is uplifting.

Mat 18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

Romans 14:22>>>Faith here means a firm conviction before GOD that what you believe is RIGHT......1 John 2:27>>>>Pay no attention-No attention to false teachers. We have the indwelling Holy Spirit which will give us assurance and teach us to live by that word.....John 2:19,21>>>>Christ was referring to the destruction of His body and in His resurrection from the DEAD....Condensed.

Obviously, you don't truly believe in praying before other people. If you do it anyway, you become a HYPOCRITE (WARNING!).

Do you imagine that there could be a practical purpose for praying out loud? What is YOUR purpose/intention when you speak to and WITH God? There should be no buildings/temples. Our devotion should be PERSONAL AND PRIVATE. Jesus became the new worship temple in "three days" (John 2:19, 21).

catherine, where did you get the information that Jesus was referring to a "prayer room." So people shouldn't pray outside "a prayer room?"However, I think I agree with some of your point. Jesus was contrasting praying for show and praying in sincerity in one's heart. Sometimes it is challenging when one prays in public to keep the prayer sincere and not for some kind of outward recognition.

God wants us to pray. How we pray doesn't matter as long as it's for God alone and not the ears of other people. Spoken or unspoken, in a closet, outdoors, anointed or not, with other people or in private. Just pray.

If Satan could hear every word of your prayers, it would mean he is omniscient (all knowing) and omnipresent (capable of being everywhere all the time). These traits are possessed by God alone. If Satan heard every word I ever prayed it wouldn't bother me, because the Word tells me:

(1Jo 4:4) Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Cuny>>> You do not understand Scripture....Closet---is actually a prayer room in a dwelling where Jesus encouraged people to pray. A Biblical closet is an actual room, not a storage place. Jesus also noted that not even words said in the inner room privacy could be kept secret. Even their hypocrisy was also in private. God knows all. We pray out in public under the influence of the Person of the Holy Spirit. We, God's people, pray to God not to man. And this is the difference in the trues and the fakes. We, God's people, pray out loud to glorify God. People who worships false gods puts on some kind of a show, God's people do not. I never look around to see who is a looking when I start praying. My eyes are on JESUS, NOT MAN.

catherine, I had to reread your post as I thought I must have read wrong. You pray louder in public over meals??First, we are to pray in private.Second, where in the Bible does it say to pray over all our meals?

Before I caught heck for the last statament, maybe think about the pharisees asking why the disciples didn't wash their hands before meals.

\\I pray out loud quite often in my yard. When out in public, I of course, pray out loud over meals..... Why not try praying outside of your house like I do. There is no reason why God wouldn't want you to do this\\

catherine, is this in your Bible?

Matthew 6:

5And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

If you have been asking God for years, try asking Him for His power to come upon you. I pray out loud quite often in my yard. When out in public, I of course, pray out loud over meals....Always by the POWER OF GOD. Please do not forget. And I talk to Jesus while I am shopping. [not quite the same]. Why not try praying outside of your house like I do. There is no reason why God wouldn't want you to do this when the opportunity arises. You must be sure that you have been Blood Bought.

Never let anyone push you into this idea of praying out load. The devil hears every word. When you pray do not stand on the street corners like the hypocritical Pharisees did (publicly) wishing for everyone to hear how well they can pray.

when you pray go into a closed room and pray silently to God through Christ Jesus who hears every word and will answer your pray if you pray and don't waiver, praying believe and you will receive. make sure to respectfully cover your head as a woman, no one needs to see or know.

If you need prayer for yourself, ask your leaders privately in a closed room just you and them they should anoint your head with oil and pray believing. An open affair bring doubt, BUT secret prayer brings real results!

On behalf of intercessors everywhere, being specific in your prayers and praying according to God's will are the keys to having confidence in your prayers.

If you look at prayers in the Bible, for example Col 1:9-12, Paul prays about specific things for the church, not just "God, please bless them".

Pray for specific needs if you know them, otherwise pray for their christian walk, for an intimate relationship with God, a consistant and close relationship with their family, for steadfastness in their faith, for humility, for diligence in studying God's word, for boldness in their witness, for courage when temptation comes, for patience, for longsuffering, etc., etc., etc.

"Wordy" prayers may impress some people, but not God. Some of the expressions people commonly use in prayer, are just mechanisms to fill time while they think of something else to pray.

Sometimes, I long for someone to pray, "Please, God, show my sister what to do". Period. "Please, God, take away the pain." Period." Please, God, let us be a blessing to someone." Period. "Please, God, help our pastor prepare for Sunday's Service" Period. No need to "preach a sermon" between your main points. Again, remember you are speaking to God, not an audience.

Studies have shown that speaking before others is more feared by people than death!So you are not alone.God doesn't require you to use a particular kind of speech when you talk to Him. He doesn't care how you say it. When you pray in a group, you are still speaking to God, not your fellow Christians. Try to keep this in mind as you pray.

Simple and straightforward is very powerful! (forget thee, thou, hast, doeth, speaketh etc....if that's not the way you normally speak)

I suffer from exactly the same problem of praying out aloud in front of other people. I am not shy generally. My fear personally is that I don't have posh/fantastic sounding words to use like some people come out with and my heartfelt prayers are always short and not very wordy.

Everyone is trying to assure me that it is more important on praying from the heart rather than how many words you can fit into a sentence. Once I get my head around that and realise I don't have to be a literary genius to pray out loud and that people won't mind if you are not, then I think it will be okay.

I have always had this issue. I clam up and get so nervous when I'm in a meeting and we are asked to break up in groups to pray..I don't believe its an attack. Its just who I am.Sometimes people are so articulate when they pray that it makes me feel inadequate. I know that sounds like a insecurity problem, but honestly I am an outgoing person I just don't feel comfortable speaking in front of others...I can pray for hours by myself or with my family.I pray about it all the time..

This could be as simple as a fear of public speaking. Don't blame the devil. Just say the first word and let it flow .Pray in Spirit and Truth,no matter how short. You are afraid of what MAN thinks. Fear GOD. You will find favor with GOD for taking the step. Get the courage He will give you words.If you feel God pushing you to pray publicy, you BETTER DO IT or you are in DISOBEDIENCE. It is not the devil but your concern of what MAN thinks. It is not happening to you. You are making it happen. Stop it.

But when thou prayest enter into thy closet and thou hast shut the door, pray to thy father which is in secret and thy father which seeth thee in secret shall reward thee openly.

Many people pray loud so that they are rewarded by their hearers but it is God that answers prayers in secret and reward openly when in order of the word. What if you pray out loud and the person dies?

Keep asking. Yes, it is the Devil, Believe me I know. REMEMBER, wait on God and His power then start praying. I wonder how many preachers and people are walking, praying, preaching, talking, witnessing, by the power of God? What do we do, leave God somewhere out in left field? God doesn't like that and it's not fair.

You are probably spiritually dead. Are you really saved and filled with the Holy Ghost? The Holy spirit can help you pray. You simply talk to God in a normal and natural way. Pray for others, yourself and issues of the day. Our leaders and so forth. This is why you need to be around mature christians and prayer warriors. You learn much from them. Also read your bible and ,memorize scripture.Pray the scriptures. Blessing

Why do feel a need to pray publicly Magdalyne? The Father knows your need & this ability is not something you need. Although you obviously desire it & I am not ridiculing that desire, I would like for you to consider this. When you pray, rather than desiring to be as the hypocrite, who loves to pray standing in front of the church to be seen & honored of man, be content to pray alone. After all, prayer is between you & your Father, & He loves having one on one sincere communications with His children.

Matthew 18:19 explains the power available through the prayer of agreement so I believe you have a legitimate concern. Actually, I remember being in your shoes. What helped me more than anything was when I got a prayer buddy. The two of us met once a week just to pray. She had a little more experience at praying out loud than I did but I felt comfortable with her and it didn't take long before I was praying out loud in larger groups. I suggest asking God for a prayer buddy of your own.

If you are praying to God and haven't seen a change, don't give up. Keep up the good fight of FAITH!Remember one important thing.. God has something special for all those who call on him. If you think God hasn't answered your prayer because you don't see a change yet, remember.. God is going to answer your prayers according to his plan and time, not yours! Don't give up, God is with us ALL! God bless!

Don't fear that you might say something wrong in front of others. Just as people make mistakes in their words when they talk to others, so it's ok to flub some words when you pray also, for God sees inside your heart and knows what you are desiring to say. More than once my prayers may not have been grammatical English, so God's Holy Spirit was still right on key. You could write a few words on a piece of paper, just to help you remember or to focus on the subjects to pray for.

I believe in praying, praising God, laughing, talking about the scenery I'm enjoying when I'm out and about the good food I am eating - unless of course my wife burns the food and then I tell her what a lousy cook she is :))

Catherine - One time I was talking to Jesus in the garden nursery of a big store. All of a sudden the female security guard appeared. She started checking me out, and showed me where the emergency button was should I need any help! :) LOL

When I am out and about to eat God's food, I pray over that with my head held up. I am not ashamed of it, not one bit. When I am shopping, I shall talk to Jesus in a normal voice, He is my friend, afterall, so why not. for example. Is it alright Jesus, if I BUY THIS? [It does take some getting use to.]

Christians pray out loud today and teach others to do so also , yet we see an example of Christ praying a far from his disciples in the garden and an example is given in the scriptures to pray in our room and shut the door. I often have a problem with vain words and repetition especially the kind that everyone knows what your asking for. Try doing it Gods way,Alone and away from others you may find being obedient works secret rewards!

Why do you want to pray before other people? If you just want to be heard, you're praying for the wrong reasons. God doesn't want people praying to him just to be heard. He wants praying to come from the heart. I pray softly and that is fine. It doesn't matter how loud you are, what matters is how you pray.

Now 70 I have been praying with people publicly for many years.In he last 20 years this public praying has evolved or changed. People are more willing to pray with you openly today than ever before is my experience. After witnessing to them I asked people to pray with me publicly a large number about 78% do.

I don't believe that it is a demonic attack. I wonder if you are normally a shy person? Are you filled with the Holy Spirit as in Acts 2? Part of the evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit is the boldness that comes with it. If you have not yet been baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues I urge you to seek this free gift from God.

Magdalyne, I have that fear when asked to pray. It is so very important that what we say to God in front of others is correct & Biblical. I often go & pray out loud to God with nothing but the trees to hear. I know God loves me & understands my shortcomings. It has helped me knowing He is in charge & will help me. I still ask people to have patience with me, a work in progress. You too are growing in God. It will get better and easier to speak if you practice with your Father God.

Do you normally have a quiet nature? If so, don't beat up on yourself. I have a shy little sister who cannot pray in front of others. She's sweet and precious. She likes to go into the prayer closet. We don't force her, it makes her upset. God answers her prayers. We're all different. Bold, quiet, or somewhere inbetween.

Many people have the same problem. As you get closer to the Lord and more comfortable with the people you are around, you will gradually be able to pray out loud. I remember when I used to be very nervous when I was asked to sing a special at church. Then the Lord reminded me that I work in a career where I have to talk to people all day long. His work is much more important than the world's. I began to be more confident after that. Your prayers can be short and simple at first.